Fan



Feb. 27, 1923. 1,446,978

l M. LIGHTER FAN Filed July e, 1921 /Z l /z A l |i 9 E5 'il E:- 8 t JEUREE AMELIRE: /0/ 1 /N VENTOR Nall/in L ich ter.

Patented Feb. 27, 1923.

NETE STA-TS Louis moons, PARTNERS maxime YORK, nY.

Application led July 6,

To ZZ whom it 'may concern VBe it known that I, MALvrN LIGHTER, a. citizen of the United States, residing in New York, county of New -Yorln and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fans, of which the following is a full, clear, and concise description.

My invention relates to fans, and more particularly to hand fans of the general type disclosed in my patent of February 2, 1915, No. 1,126,797.

By my invention -now under contemplation, I seek to increase the flexibility of the fan b-lade, at various points in close proximity to the handle, and at the same time give the handle and parts immediately adjacent thereto a maximum of stiffness and strength.

I also seek to so construct the fan as to render it more comfortable in feeling when grasped by the hand of the operator, in actual use in fanning.

Inl addition, I seek to give certain parts of the fan such form as to facilitate their manufacture in quantity and render lthem easy to standardize.

Reference is made to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, and in which reference characters indicate like parts throughout the severa-l figures. i

Figure 1 is a view of one form of my im'- proved fan, and sho-ws the same partly in elevation and partly as with certain parts broken away. i

Figure 2 shows either form of my fan, as it appears when held in the hand of the operator, ready for use.

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3 3 of Figure 1, looking in the direct-ion indicated by the' arrows.

Figure l is a fragmentary section some-- what similar to Figure 3, but showing form of the fan different from that appearino' in Figure 1.

lFigure 5 is a fragmentary elevation indicating the manner in which a number of handle members are successively cut from a single piece of'stock, so as to avoid waste.

The blade of the fan appears at 6, and is provided with a curved edge 7, in thisparticular instance substantially semicircular. The blade is provided .with a projecting porortica.

MALVIN`LICHTER, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y., 'ASSIGNOR T0 SAID MALVIN LIGHTER AND' AS STICKLESS FAN COMPANY, OF NEW FAN;

1921. Serial No. 482,727.

tion 8, neatly curved andotherwise formed and adapted to fit into the palm of the hand,

when the fan is graspedin the usual man-A degree of flexibility and resilience, coupledf with a reasonable amount of stiffness and strength. That is to, say, the vportion 9b can fiex'or bend a little, and when so flexed or bent has a tendencytoreturn to its; initialy position relatively to other parts, and yet the portion in question is in great measure re-enforced, stiffened and strengthened be-` cause of its proximity to the two handler members 10, between which the blade is sandwiched as above described. Thus the portion 9b serves in acapacity more orless analogous to that of al cushion.

Each handle member 10` is at its extremities provided with straight edges 11 which are exactly parallel with each other. The blade 6 is provided with a pair of scalloped edges 12; a-nd between each edge 12-and the. straight edge 11 immediately adjacent thereto is a substantially 4V-shaped `portion 13 of the blade 6, this V-shaped portion having. a certain amount of stiffness andstrength 'conferred upon it in consequence lof its proximity to the ends of the two handle mem-l bers 10, disposed upon opposite faces ofthe blade 6. Thus the portion 13` is in some respects like the portion 9b-above described. Vlhile it has some resilience and flexibility, it is quite strong; and it is so arranged as to render more'gradual than would otherwise be the case the bending of the. fan asl a whole. In other words the part 13, because of its width atthe top serves to dis.-

tribute the stresses arising whentheblade' portion 9a which extends slightly outward CJD from the outer or rounded edges of the han die members 10, so as to form a margin which protrudes slightly, as indicated more particularly in Figures 1 and 3. This protruding portion or margin serves a lgood purpose, in cushioning the fan against blows and crushing pressures of various kinds,

which would otherwise be received upon the edges of the handle members 10 directly. The principal use of the protruding portion 9, however, is to confer upon the handle of the fan such form as to render the feeling of the hand-le more agreeable to the operator by whom it is grasped. This may be understood more particularly from Figure 2, which vshows the fan as grasped by the operators hand 14e, the operators thumb extending through `the thumbhole 9, the protruding` portion 9a fitting neatly into the palm of the hand. .As may be readily understood from this figure and from the form of the parts as shown in cross section at the bottom of Figure 3, theA handle of the. fan lits into the hand of the operator quite neatlyv and agreeably to. theY touch. More,- over, Aif for any reason, theoperators grasp is tightened. the protruding portion 9 .is

slightly fsprung or flexed, the pressure of the hand bei-ng thus to somefextent cushioned,

and the pressure being so distributed as. to`

avoid all disagreeable sensation to the operators hand.

The above-mentioned advantages are in part due. to the form ofY the handle members 10. An additional advantage due to the form of these `members is that they can be cut one at a time from a single piece of stock without waste, except possibly at the ends of thei piece,vas shown at 1G in Figure 5.

1n theV form of my device shown inv F igure 4i the Structure and action of the various parts is the same as in Figures l tol 3 inclusive, yexcept that in Figure ione ofthe handle members 1()v is omitted. This gives a. somewhat lighter and cheaper construction, but one in which the re-enforcing of the blade-is not quite so pronounced.

I preferably make the blade G and the handle members 10 of cardboard, these parts being secured together by means of glue, cement or other appropriate f However, I do not wish to limit myselfto adhesive. y

tions mav be made' therein without departing frommy invention, the spirit of which is commensurate with my claims. v

Having thus described my invention,

whatclaim as new and desire to secure by4 Letters Patent is asV follows:

1. ln a hand fan, the combination of a blade made of cardboard and provided with a thumb hole, and a pair of handle members made of cardboard and located upon oppo-L site faces of the blade in such position as to clear the thumb hole, thehandle members and the intervening portion of the blade each being formed to fit neatliy into theA palm of the operators'hand while the thumb of the same hand is occupying the thumb hole.,

A2. In a hand` fan, the combinationofa blade made of sheet material and a pair-of` handle members made of sheet material ands secured` upon opposite faces of thefblade, said blade and each of said handle members,

being provided with an edge portion conforming in profile to thepalm-of the hand, the said edge portion ofthe blade being displaced relatively to the adjacent edge por` forming in profile to the pal-m of the hand, each handle lmember being'provided-with a; lpair of straight edges parallel with each other, and the` blade'being provided-witha pairof edge portions disposed adil acentsai-dstraight parallel edges and divergling'l therefroms in order to distribute to vbetter advantage the stresses .arising within the blade when the fan issubjected tolaV rbending strain.

4f. In a khand fan the combinationsy off a blade 'having an edge portion socurvedas toconform in profile to the palm; of the hand and having. an opening `suitable,for` receiving the thumb, and ahaiidlef membermade of sheet material: and securedupon the blade in such position asto 'clearsardf opening, said handle member having-j any t edge portion socurvedas to conform. in .pifolileto the palmA of the hand, this portion of..

the handle member being disposed in` closeI proximity to said edge portionl ofthe bladev so curved asto conform in` profilev tothe palmy of the hand. i

Marvin Lionriin. 

